As someone who's visited STL but never lived there, are there any temporary "pop up" options that could fill that gap? Seems there could be short term food cart pods and beer tents during the baseball season or things like seasonal minigolf at one of the parks by the Old Courthouse when conventions are going on. I saw similar things in Portland during soccer games, and I know Detroit had the "Midway" which brought a bunch of family friendly activities downtown without needing a permanent structure and was across the street from Campus Martius, which had activities for kids but also a bar for adults.delmar2debaliviere2downtown wrote: ↑Mar 11, 2025Nightlife doesnt mean night clubs, as those aren’t even popular anymore outside of basically Miami and NYC. A mix of patio bars, taprooms, bar and grills, breweries, cocktail lounges, wine bars, small live music bars throughout all of downtown would only make life for residents, workers, and visitors better downtown.
If the city found a way to temporarily utilize open spaces Downtown based on demand, it seems like it could help make downtown lively when people are going to be there anyway but also wrap things up early enough that it doesn't become a 3am kinda crowd. Obviously having permanent businesses is the end goal, but for a much lower overhead and with less of a nuisance to residents, having activities that are seasonal and family friendly but also allow the parents to have a beer seem to be a solid middleground from my experience. It would also be far more palatable for 30-somethings who might consider moving into the neighborhood vs 21 year olds who probably would be more centered by the Universities anyway.